The invention is related to Internet protocol (IP) telephony systems that allow users to place and receive telephone calls, video calls, to send and receive text and video messages, and to send and receive other forms of telephony and data communications. Such communications are carried, at least in part, via data packets that are communicated over a data network. The data network is commonly the Internet.
Users of an IP telephony system typically gain access to the Internet using an Internet service provider so that they can communicate via the IP telephony system. Also, the IP telephony system itself typically makes use of one or more Internet service providers to connect telephony and data communications between its own clients, and to connect telephony and data communications between its clients and users of other telephony service providers.
Because of the recent growth in the use of the Internet for these and other purposes, some Internet service providers are having a difficult time handling the volume of data packet traffic being requested by their clients. To help resolve this problem, Internet service providers have begun limiting the bit rates of communications to and from certain entities. In addition, some Internet service providers have sought to prevent the transmission of certain forms of data communications that are viewed as using too much bandwidth.
For example, some Internet service providers make an effort to identify communications which carry the media of IP telephony communications. When they are successful in identifying a stream of data packets which is carrying the media of an IP telephony communication, they may slow down the transmission rate, or simply drop the data packets altogether. In either case, their actions harm the ability of an IP telephony system to provide high quality service to its customers. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods which can be used to prevent Internet service providers from identifying data packets which bear IP telephony communications so that the Internet service providers will not slow down or completely drop such data packets.